Thanks to the recent election, I’ve become addicted to online news (I know — I’m a late bloomer). Mixed in with all the election coverage, I was exposed to almost-daily reports of school violence. Over the years, I kept myself purposely naive, because that sort of news story makes me want to move my kids into a concrete bunker, where we’d eat canned vegetables, weave our own clothes, and remain blissfully ignorant of the crazy world around us. For example, today’s CNN homepage reported that a 15-year-old girl walked into high school and shot her best friend in the chest. There is no motive for the killing yet, but I suspect it will be something along the lines of ‘she forgot to return my favorite sweater.’

It left me wondering if there were any good ideas on how to prevent school violence. A quick internet search of school + violence + prevention was completely depressing. I came across a 20,000-word report that basically concluded with, “Nope, not really.” I was about to make a list of canned goods we’d need for the bunker when I was distracted by a table that compares disciplinary problems as reported by school teachers during 1940 and 1990:

“Public School Teachers Rate the Top Disciplinary Problems”*

1940:

1) Talking out of turn
2) Chewing gum
3) Making noise
4) Running in the hall
5) Cutting in line
6) Dress code violations
7) Littering

1990

1) Drug abuse
2) Alcohol abuse
3) Pregnancy
4) Suicide
5) Rape
6) Robbery
7) Assault

*Taken from “School Violence Prevention: Strategies to Keep Schools Safe,” by Alexander Volokh with Lisa Schnell in January 1998

The scariest thing is these “current” statistics are now 18 years old. I shudder to think what the 2008 teachers would say if asked the same question. The thing that struck me most about this table is that I believe, in some way, that failure to address the (now pathetically minor) issues of the 1940 teachers is what has resulted in the frightening lack of discipline today. I base this on my mother-in-law, who taught in an inner-city high school for twenty years. Yes, she was frustrated by the violence and the gangs, but most of all, she was troubled by the disregard for common courtesy and the failure of her administrators to enforce even the smallest rules. It’s not just the administration, of course. Who complains when the teachers and principals do try to enforce the little things from the 1940s (like following the dress rules, etc.)? The parents! 

So maybe it’s not too late. Maybe we just need to get back to basics, and start giving detention or expulsion to the kids who fail to follow the 1940s rules. And just maybe, parents need to back up the schools when their kids are disciplined. After all, those seemingly minor problems reinforce the values of courtesy, self respect and discipline, and isn’t that what keeps kids from resorting to violence? 

Just in case I’m wrong, I’m going to dig the foundation for the bunker tomorrow.